SPADE Poker Championship

The MSPT SPADE Poker Championship returns to FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan, from October 13–18, 2026. The six-day festival is built around MSPT Main Event 329, a $1,110 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event with a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

The 2026 SPADE Poker Championship is designated an MSPT Major, giving the Main Event a 1.5X Player of the Year multiplier. The festival includes nine Gold Card events, multiple Main Event satellites and an added $3,500 MSPT Championship seat for the Main Event winner.

Players should use the official 2026 MSPT SPADE Poker Championship schedule and structure sheets for the complete event listing and any subsequent tournament updates.

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What Is the MSPT SPADE Poker Championship?

The SPADE Poker Championship is MSPT's fall championship festival at FireKeepers Casino Hotel.

It is separate from the Michigan Poker State Championship, which FireKeepers hosts in the spring. Structures, preliminary events, satellites and guarantees can differ between the two festivals, so October players should use the current SPADE Poker Championship schedule rather than information from the spring event or the inaugural 2025 SPADE Championship.

MSPT's official 2026 materials designate the SPADE Poker Championship as a Major. The Main Event therefore awards 1.5X Player of the Year points.

The published MSPT materials use SPADE as the event name and do not provide an acronym expansion. It should not be interpreted as a poker variant.

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2026 SPADE Poker Championship Schedule Overview

The official 2026 schedule runs Tuesday, October 13 through Sunday, October 18 and lists nine Gold Card events.

Among the confirmed preliminary events are:

• $400 Epic Stack No-Limit Hold'em on Tuesday, October 13 at noon with a 50,000 starting stack and 30-minute levels

• $400 Pot-Limit Omaha on Tuesday, October 13 at 4 p.m. with a 30,000 starting stack and 30-minute levels

• $300 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em for players age 50 and older on Wednesday, October 14 at noon with a 30,000 starting stack and 30-minute levels

• $400 Mixed PLO/NLH on Wednesday, October 14 at 4 p.m. with a 30,000 starting stack and 30-minute levels

• $250 Nightly No-Limit Hold'em events at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday

• $400 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold'em on Sunday, October 18 at noon with a 30,000 starting stack and 30-minute levels

The Main Event is Event #5 and occupies the center of the Thursday-through-Sunday schedule.

For the complete event-by-event listing, registration windows and structure sheets, view the official MSPT SPADE Poker Championship schedule.

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SPADE Poker Championship Main Event

MSPT Main Event 329 is a $1,110 No-Limit Hold'em tournament with a $1,000,000 guarantee.

The official structure gives players 30,000 tournament chips and uses 40-minute levels. Levels shorten to 30 minutes heads-up or when a deal has been made.

The Main Event is scheduled in the FireKeepers Event Center.

Key Main Event details include:

• Buy-in: $1,110

• Guarantee: $1,000,000

• Starting stack: 30,000

• Levels: 40 minutes

• Day 1A: Thursday, October 15 at 12 p.m.

• Day 1B: Friday, October 16 at 12 p.m.

• Day 1C: Saturday, October 17 at 12 p.m.

• Day 2: Sunday, October 18 at 10 a.m.

• Late registration: Through the start of Level 13

• Scheduled registration close: Approximately 9:25 p.m. on each starting flight

• Re-entry: Unlimited during the registration period

• Player of the Year multiplier: 1.5X

• Added first-place prize: $3,500 MSPT Championship seat

• Minimum age: 21

The published structure breaks down the $1,110 entry as $970 to the prize pool and a $140 administration fee.

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Main Event Flights, Day 2 and Multi-Bag Rules

All three Main Event starting flights begin at noon.

Day 1A is Thursday, October 15, Day 1B is Friday, October 16 and Day 1C is Saturday, October 17.

Each Day 1 is scheduled to continue until 11% of that flight's field remains, rounded up. Those players begin Day 2 already in the money.

Day 2 starts Sunday, October 18 at 10 a.m. The tournament clock resumes at the earliest finishing point reached by any of the starting flights, and the remaining field plays until a winner is declared.

The 2026 structure also includes a multi-bag rule. If a player qualifies for Day 2 more than once, only the higher chip stack remains in play. Any lower qualifying stack is removed at the start of Day 2 and receives the lowest Day 2 payout. Player of the Year points are awarded only for the higher stack, and the player receives credit for one MSPT Main Event cash.

Because each flight ends when the required percentage of the field remains, players should not assume Day 1 will finish at a predetermined level or clock time.

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Main Event Registration and Re-Entry

Unlimited re-entry is available until the start of Level 13.

The published festival schedule lists the Main Event registration window as remaining open until approximately 9:25 p.m. for each noon starting flight.

Players entering late receive the same 30,000 starting stack but will naturally begin with fewer big blinds as the structure advances.

The Main Event structure, rather than FireKeepers' normal daily-tournament procedures, controls festival-specific registration, re-entry and level rules.

Players should check the official structure again on the day they play in case MSPT or FireKeepers makes a permitted schedule or operational change.

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$1 Million Main Event Guarantee

The 2026 SPADE Poker Championship Main Event carries a $1,000,000 guaranteed prize pool.

That is different from the inaugural 2025 SPADE Poker Championship, which carried a $1.5 million guarantee. The previous year's guarantee should not be applied to the 2026 event.

The final 2026 prize pool will depend on the number of entries received.

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Satellites Into the Main Event

The 2026 schedule provides several satellite routes into the $1,110 Main Event.

$70 Milestone Satellites use a 15,000 starting stack and 15-minute levels. One in five advances to a $265 Milestone Satellite.

The listed $265 Milestone Satellites use a 30,000 starting stack and 20-minute levels. One in five advances to the $1,110 Main Event under the published qualification terms.

The schedule also includes $135 satellites with 15,000 starting chips and 20-minute levels. One in 10 advances to Main Event Day 1A or Day 1B.

Most scheduled satellites are listed in the FireKeepers Poker Room. However, the Tuesday, October 13 and Wednesday, October 14 7 p.m. $265 Milestone Satellites are scheduled in the Event Center, so players should check the location of the specific satellite they intend to enter.

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Nine Gold Card Events

MSPT lists nine Gold Card events during the 2026 SPADE Poker Championship.

The Main Event is one of those Gold Card events. The supporting schedule also includes Epic Stack NLH, Pot-Limit Omaha, Seniors NLH, Mixed PLO/NLH, three $250 Nightly NLH events and the Sunday $400 Monster Stack NLH.

The Sunday Monster Stack begins at noon on October 18 in the Event Center and uses a 30,000 starting stack with 30-minute levels.

Players should use the official schedule rather than an older SPADE or Michigan Poker State Championship lineup when planning side events.

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Added $3,500 MSPT Championship Seat

MSPT adds a $3,500 MSPT Championship seat to first place in the SPADE Poker Championship Main Event.

The seat is non-transferable. The winner is responsible for transportation and lodging.

The official Main Event structure identifies the 2026 MSPT Championship Main Event as taking place November 27 through December 2 at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, with a $2 million guarantee.

The added seat is separate from the cash payout generated by the SPADE Poker Championship prize pool.

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FireKeepers Casino Hotel Poker

FireKeepers has a dedicated poker room as well as the Event Center used for the principal SPADE Poker Championship events.

The official festival schedule lists the Main Event and Gold Card events in the Event Center. Many satellite sessions are held in the Poker Room, although some $265 Milestone sessions during championship week are scheduled in the Event Center.

FireKeepers currently lists Poker Room hours as Sunday through Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. and Thursday through Saturday as open 24 hours.

A Red Hot Rewards Club membership is required to play, and FireKeepers requires valid identification and a player card for tournament participation.

Players can read the Angry Aces Poker FireKeepers Casino Hotel Poker Room Guide for additional poker-room information.

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FireKeepers Tournament of Champions Is Separate

FireKeepers also promotes a 2026 Poker Tournament of Champions connected to eligible regularly scheduled poker-room tournaments.

That promotion is separate from the MSPT SPADE Poker Championship.

Its guarantee, qualification system and promotional rules should not be combined with the SPADE Poker Championship Main Event guarantee or MSPT prize pool.

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Historical SPADE Poker Championship Context

The SPADE Poker Championship debuted at FireKeepers in October 2025.

The inaugural Main Event used the same $1,110 buy-in but carried a $1.5 million guarantee. It drew 2,773 entries and generated a $2,688,310 prize pool, with Merritt Kuhn winning the championship for $339,115.

Those figures provide historical context only. The official guarantee for the 2026 Main Event is $1,000,000.

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What Players Should Know

The most important planning details for the 2026 MSPT SPADE Poker Championship are:

• The festival runs October 13–18, 2026 at FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Michigan

• Main Event 329 has a $1,110 buy-in and $1,000,000 guarantee

• Players begin with 30,000 chips

• Main Event levels are 40 minutes

• Day 1A, Day 1B and Day 1C begin at noon Thursday, Friday and Saturday

• Day 2 begins Sunday at 10 a.m.

• Unlimited re-entry is available through the start of Level 13

• Each Day 1 plays to 11% of its field, rounded up

• Day 2 begins in the money

• Multi-bag qualifiers play only their higher qualifying stack

• The festival includes nine Gold Card events

• Event #9 is a $400 Monster Stack NLH on Sunday at noon

• The Main Event is an MSPT Major worth 1.5X Player of the Year points

• A non-transferable $3,500 MSPT Championship seat is added to first place

Before traveling or registering, players should make one final check of the official 2026 MSPT SPADE Poker Championship schedule for any permitted changes.